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Saurav Ganguly

Ganguly to
receive special
County cap

KOLKATA, Apr 26: Indian cricket captain Saurav Ganguly will receive a special Maroon County cap .......more

Controversial umpire Hair
to stand in Pakistan test

LONDON, Apr 26: Controversial umpire Darrell Hair and Peter Willey will officiate in the first test....more

Men to vie for 24-28
position, women for
35th in World TT

OSAKA, Apr 26: Indian men registered their second win of the day but the women.....more

Pak press for Windies
to keep tour promise

KARACHI, Apr 26: Pakistan has asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to intervene.......more

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 27: The Ambala Air Force, scoring the highest points and gold medals to its credit, won the ........more

Rural Sports Mela
enters into
second day

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 27: On the second day of Rural Sports Mela Cum Cultural Mela, Mr Dharbari lal of R S Pura clinched first place in the cycle race ....more

Veteran Cricket
prize distribution
function tomorrow

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 27: Prize distribution function of the Gurdeep Memorial Veteran Cricket Tournament will be held on April 29 at.....more

UAE take revenge,
defeat India 1-0

AL AIN (UAE), Apr 26: India’s chances of making an entry into the second phase of World Cup 2002 ......more

Ganguly to receive special County cap

KOLKATA, Apr 26: Indian cricket captain Saurav Ganguly will receive a special Maroon County cap with an embroidered portrait of cricket legend Don Bradman on it made by Australia based Bradman Copyrights Materials (BCM).

According to a spokesman of Bradman’s publishers, the caps had already arrived in the city and would be presented to Ganguly soon. Three other Indian cricketrs Sachin Tendulkar, V V S Laxman and Harbhajan Singh who played a steller role in India’’s recent test series victory against Australia have already received the cap.

Bradman copyright materials made 50 such caps to commemorate Bradman’s association with his first cricket club - St Georges Club at Hurstvile Oval in Adelade, Australia during 1926 to 32.

BCM has also requested Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar to gift any of their County caps for a special exhibition of the world’s greatest cricketers’caps at the state library of New South Wales in Sydney on August 28. Caps of Wisden’s five cricketers of the century, including one from former England skipper Sir Jack Hobbs, would also be there.

The BCM has also decided to present each member of the Indian team with ACD Rom of Bradman’s "art of cricket" as a mark of appreciation of India’s fine test series victory over the Aussies at home. The Indian cricketers would be the first to get this presentation. (UNI)

Controversial umpire Hair to stand in Pakistan test

LONDON, Apr 26: Controversial umpire Darrell Hair and Peter Willey will officiate in the first test between England and Pakistan next month.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed today that the pair would take charge of the Lord’s encounter starting on May 17.

The appointments may not please Pakistan, and pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar in particular.

Hair and Willey reported Shoaib for throwing following the third test against Australia in Perth in November 1999, sparking anger in Pakistan.

The ICC, however, ruled there was a problem with his bouncer and asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to work on his action while allowing him to continue playing.

The 25-year-old Shoaib was just been cleared for a second time by his own board after being reported for throwing by New Zealand umpires Doug Cowie and Steve Dunne in a one-day international in Dunedin in February.

Shoaib, who has taken 45 wickets in 15 tests and is challenging Australian Brett Lee for the title of the world’s quickest bowler, is regarded as one of the most exciting players in the sport.

Hair, meanwhile, has been involved in other controversy. He called Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing in Australia in 1995-96. Muralitharan’s action was later declared legal. (REUTERS)

Men to vie for 24-28 position, women for 35th in World TT

OSAKA, Apr 26: Indian men registered their second win of the day but the women went down to Poland in the minor placings playoff in the team events of the World Table Tennis Championships here today.

The men defeated Singapore 3-2 to remain in contention for a 25-28 place while the women will now fight for the 35th place after losing 1-3 to Poland.

Chetan Baboor won both his matches after national champion Soumyadeep Roy and Shivaji Dutta had lost theirs. Roy, star of India’s 3-2 victory against Brazil earlier in the day, lost 17-21 13-21 to Duan Yong Jun of Singapore in the opening singles.

Baboor made it 1-1 with a 23-21 11-21 21-12 win against Cai Xiao Li but India conceded the lead once again when Datta was defeated 10-21 21-8 12-21 by Zhang Tai Yong. Baboor won his second match 21-17 21-13 against Yong Jun and Soumyadeep clinched the tie for India with a 21-10 17-21 21-11 win against Xiao Li.

In the women’s section, Mouma Das registered the only win for the Indians when she beat Joanna Paulina Narkiewicz 23-21 18-21 22-20 in a hard fought second singles match. National champion Poulomi Ghatak lost both her matches, 21-12 16-21 16-21 to Kinga Stefanska and 14-21 8-21 to Narkiewicz. N R Indu went down 21-15 15-21 12-21 to Monika Pietkiewicz. They will play Australia in their next match.

Indian women had earlier in the day defeated Denmark 3-2. (PTI)

Pak press for Windies to keep tour promise

KARACHI, Apr 26: Pakistan has asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to intervene and convince West Indies to undertake a scheduled tour early next year, an official said today.

"We have written to the ICC and have asked them to use their good offices to convince the West Indies to go-ahead with next year’s tour to Pakistan," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director Munawwar Rana told Reuters from Lahore.

West Indies, who are scheduled to visit Pakistan in February and March 2002, have instead decided to host India at the same time.

West Indies also cancelled a visit to Pakistan in 1999 because the timing of the tour clashed with their domestic one-day competition.

The men from the Caribbean had been scheduled to tour Pakistan under the ICC’s five-year test championship programme, to which all National Cricket Boards are signatories.

The programme was devised to allow all 10 test teams to play each other on home and away basis.

"We want the ICC to make West Indies remember the five-year plan and force them to follow it," Rana said.

"We have been forced to write to the ICC because the West Indies have not responded to our letter we wrote in March," he added.

West Indies last toured Pakistan at the end of 1997 and suffered their first whitewash in more than 50 years, losing the test series 3-0. Pakistan made a return visit to the Caribbean last year.

Pakistan fear significant financial losses if the series against West Indies does not go ahead. Pakistan said they lost more than 15 million dollar when India refused to cross borders for a scheduled tour last year.

Under the five-year icc programme, Pakistan are committed to host New Zealand in September-October this year and then tour Bangladesh for two tests in January next year.

If West Indies do not make the trip, Pakistan’s next assignment under the five-year programme will be a home series against Australia in September-October 2002. (REUTERS)

Rural sports cum cultural mela begins at R S Pura

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 26: Three-day rural sports cum cultural mela organised by the J&K Rural Sports Club in collaboration with the Department of Youth Services and Sports at R S Pura here today.

The competitions were declared open by the Dr Abdul Ahad, Commissioner cum Secretary, Education, while the Director YSS, Asgar Ali presided over the inaugural function.

In his address, the chief guest, Dr Ahad stressed upon for organising such melas at grass root level, where the poor and illiterate could also participate in the games. He advised the Rural Sports Club for involving other Government agencies for the upliftment of the rural youth and appreciated them for holding such a big event.

President of the Club, Narinder Singh said that rural sports and cultural mela is meant for creating sports and cultural awareness amongst the youth of rural and border areas and also providing opportunities to explore the hidden talent.

District Youth Services and Sports Officer, B S Samyal in his welcome address exhibited the significance of jointly organising such type of melas for promoting games at the grass root level. Mr Kuldeep Sharma, Principal, Government Higher Secondary School, R S Pura presented vote of thanks.

Students of Government Girls High School, Badyal Brahmana, Girls High School, Simbal and Shastri Memorial Academy, R S Pura performed cultural items.

Today’s results: Kabaddi (Girls): Unique Academy, Gadigarh beat Govt Girls High School, Rangpur Mullana by six points. Men: Gold Star Club, Simbal Morh beat Mahaveer Akhara, R S Pura by nine points. Friends Club, R S Pura beat Tiger Club, Simbal by five points.

Athletics: Vicky Chopra of Friends Club, Ist; Ashwani Kumar of Govt High School, Kotli Shahdulla, 2nd and Dharwari Lal of R S Pura finished third.

Hockey: Diamond Club (Red), Simbal beat Bikram Club, Chowalla by six goals to nil at Simbal Camp.

Others, who attended the inaugural functions were Divisional Sports Officer, Veena Bakshi, Deputy Director, K K Sharma, Assistant Director, Syed Ahmed Wani and others.